Crowbush, a 1994 Thomas McBroom creation, looks as if it were scooped from the British Isles and set down on PEI. Eight holes skirt spectacular sand dunes and eight more feature some sort of water, usually in the form of salty marshes. Bordered by tall, brown native grasses, the fairways pitch and roll like frozen green waves, their surfaces pocked with deep, heavy-lipped pot bunkers.

On the tee of the par-3 6th hole, trees broke the wind off the ocean, but we could see the flag whipping on the narrow green 191 yards away. Marshland in front of the tee drains into a lake left of the green. Bunkers guard the right and rear of the putting surface. Aiming a full 20 yards to the right turned out to be the correct play.

The par-4 16th hole begins over water, then climbs to a small contoured green ringed by bunkers. Looking back from the green, you can see ocean stretching to the horizon.

After playing, we fortified ourselves with big buckets of steamed mussels—an island specialty—in the colonial-style clubhouse, then prepared to take on Dundarave, a course that rivals Crowbush for beauty and toughness. This new Michael Hurdzan-Dana Fry track lies next to the venerable Brudenell River Course (where Lorie Kane learned to play) at the Brudenell Golf Resort. Kane’s first coach, Anne Chouinard, heads the Dundarave Golf Academy.

Like Crowbush, Dundarave is a wild, natural beauty, with knee-high brown grasses and deep ravines. However, it has an unmatched feeling of isolation as it winds through thick woods along the riverside. Another natural touch is the indigenous red-tinted sand used in the bunkers. Despite its beauty, Dundarave is a bit severe, at least in comparison to typical resort golf. While the landing areas are wide, most fairways are minefields of deep bunkers.

The Brudenell River Course, a traditional layout with flatter fairways and more moderate bunkering, offers a sharp contrast to Dundarave. A longtime stop on the Canadian Tour, the 6,591-yard course hugs the river, features dense rough and is subject to frequent high winds. Swirling gusts are the norm on the 163-yard 5th hole—called “Ink Pot”—and the 10th hole (“Shimmering Waters”), a 143-yard beauty with water front and left.